We have all been there. Working hard and looking forward to a long weekend. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the long weekend we have been anticipating for. It can be our day off we decided to take or even holidays we booked in advance.
You planned to catch up on projects around the house, map out all the kids’ activities for the upcoming school term, meet with your friends and squeeze some well deserved ‘me-time’.
But have you ever noticed how time unexpectedly shrinks?
Things that you planned don’t get done, you didn’t rest, and tomorrow you need to go back to work.
Well, if you felt stressed before the long weekend, now you really feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
I hear you.
Because that used to be me. But I have some good news. There is one simple mindset shift that you can do so next time you truly have that well-deserved ‘me time’.
But, before we start, are you part of my community? Join my newsletter to get the latest action steps on how to eat a healthy plant-based diet, de-stress, manage your time better, prioritize yourself, and anything in between so that you INCREASE your energy, SAVE time and INVEST well in your wellness!
Ready?
Would you like to go to Bora Bora?
What is your favorite destination? If there was no time or money limitation, what exotic destination would you go to?
Would you embrace the warm waters, sandy beaches, and pina coladas? Or would you rather go hiking on the tops of the Himalayas?
Can you envision yourself walking on the beach and the warm ocean washing over your feet feeling blessed? Or feeling the victory and accomplishment because you have just reached the summit?
Either you go for a relaxing time or active rest you get that well-deserved break.
You dedicated all your resources to achieve that state.
So, when was the last time you felt well-rested?
Stress anyone?
This all may seem a bit dreamy to you. The idealistic beach or the mountain top I mean. But it is not entirely about the external environment of your favorite destination.
Your internal environment plays a major role when it comes to creating a state of rest or accomplishment.
Your day-to-day surroundings can also bring you that well-deserved rest. Actually, they need to bring you that feeling of rest because our lives are very busy.
Have you caught yourself holding your breath at the end of the day wondering where all your time has gone?
We don’t operate efficiently when we feel tired and frustrated.
If you don’t relive the stress which you accumulated during the day, it stays in your bones, tissues, muscles, thoughts. And that stress is preventing you from being your best, making rational decisions, and getting things done.
Welcome to the hamster wheel
I suspect you are like me. You have many things that you juggle in life. You have many commitments and responsibilities, but above all, you do not want to disappoint.
But things are pilling up and your time gets short. So what do you do?
You start feeling stressed, overwhelmed, under pressure. Yet, you say ‘yes’ to another project, another birthday party, or going on a new diet plan.
Scientists say that our lives are like a hamster wheel. You feel like your speed of life increases, but you can’t slow down.
Many years ago, I was like you.
Adding more and more commitments to my days, increasing the speed of the wheel, and slowly losing focus until I hit a wall. I couldn’t see where I was going.
You may want to ask what this has to do with me-time and long weekend?
Well, you see I did not take any time to rest.
The only way to keep up with the speed of life is to rest.
You can’t keep speeding up and keep going without any fuel.
Are you ready to commit?
I understand it is hard to dedicate time to rest.
Committing to yourself may be one of the scariest things you will ever do.
Why? Because we are not taught how to do that. We are always shown to take care of others and if there is any time left (is there ever?) then we can dedicate it to ourselves.
Commit to yourself.
Commit to your health and commit to your wellbeing. Your body and mind will thank you for it.
People who care about you and who you care about will thank you for it too.
Trust me. You are more likable when you are relaxed, well-rested, and energetic. You can go to the gym, cook a nourishing meal, do the laundry, ace that presentation at work, and still have time and energy left to rest.
Rest is self-care.
I know how it feels to be always tired, frustrated, irritated, and feeling like I’m carrying the whole world on my shoulders.
The thing is that nothing will shift until you stop viewing your self-care as a chore.
You put ‘to rest’ on your to-do list. But let’s face it. If it is not at the top of your list, or if it is not one of your daily priorities then it doesn’t get done.
Don’t wait.
Planning to get some well-deserved rest on a long weekend, holiday, or day off is beneficial. And it may even bring some results if it happens.
However, if you keep on waiting to have that rest rather than committing to yourself daily to have it, you may never experience the warm sandy beaches or the summits of the Himalayas.
Embrace the concept of don’t put off tomorrow what can be done today. I would go even further and say don’t put off tomorrow what needs to be done today.
Taking daily ‘me-time’ will give you the energy you want.
How much longer can you go on feeling tired, exhausted, stressed, and holding your breath because the daily anxiety got so bad?
You need to get off that hamster wheel to be able to assess if the direction you’re traveling in is the direction you want to go. And the only way to do that is to take that daily rest today. Don’t wait.
Conclusion
Planning that well-deserved rest on a long weekend we are looking forward to, or the holiday in an exotic location needs to be part of our overall wellness plan.
But taking time off from the daily grind needs to be done, well… daily.
The more stressed you feel the more often you need to dedicate time to rest.
Because our lives got so busy, so fast-paced and it doesn’t look like they will slow down any time soon, you need to make a genuine commitment.
Committing to yourself, to your health, and to your wellbeing is the best way to ensure that you stay healthy, energetic and you get things done.
Feeling tired, frustrated, irritated, and overwhelmed will increase the speed of your hamster wheel but ultimately you will lose focus on what is really important to you.
Don’t wait for the perfect time to reduce the stress you feel, the overwhelm you experience and the anxiety that takes your breath away. Do it now.
Are you part of my community? Join my newsletter to get the latest action steps on how to eat a healthy plant-based diet, de-stress, manage your time better, prioritize yourself, and anything in between so that you INCREASE your energy, SAVE time and INVEST well in your wellness!